Florida High School Girl to Plead Guilty in Sex Crime Case

A Florida high-school student charged in February with a felony sex crime over her affair with a younger girl was expected to accept a plea deal on Thursday to avoid becoming a registered sex offender, sources familiar the situation said.

The case drew national attention after Kaitlyn Hunt's supporters accused authorities of picking on her because of her sexual orientation. Indian River County prosecutor Bruce Colton, however, said Hunt was charged with lewd and lascivious assault on a minor, a second-degree felony, like any other adult for having sex with a child.

Hunt was 18 at the time of her affair with a 14-year-old schoolmate, whose parents called the police.

At a court hearing Thursday, Hunt was expected to enter a total of five no contest pleas to charges including misdemeanor battery and felony interference with child custody, according to the conditional offer prepared by Assistant State Attorney Brian Workman and obtained by Reuters.

The deal calls for Hunt to remain in jail until Dec. 20, followed by three years of felony supervision, according to the plea offer. If Hunt adheres to the conditions of her release, the offer states that she will not be a convicted felon or registered sex offender and can ask for her case to be sealed or expunged.

Under her original charges, Hunt faced up to 15 years in prison and a requirement to register as a sex offender. Florida law prohibits anyone 18 or older from having sex with a minor.

Hunt previously rejected plea deals. Her father, Steven Hunt of Palm Bay, has said his daughter never thought about age difference in part because the 14-year-old was physically larger than his daughter and they played on the high school varsity basketball team together. Hunt said the alleged victim's family refused to try to resolve the issue through mediation.

A Florida high-school student charged in February with a felony sex crime over her affair with a younger girl was expected to accept a plea deal on Thursday to avoid becoming a registered sex offender, sources familiar the situation said.